Chronotopic Identities in Smartphone-Based Interaction

Against the backdrop of increased mobility and the almost ubiquitous use of smartphones in society, this article examines the temporal and spatial flexibilization of social identities and situational contexts in everyday digital communication. Drawing on the theoretical concept of the > chronotope <, communicative practices in everyday smartphone communication are put into perspective with regard to their spatio-temporal boundedness and interdiscursive history. It shows how different social contexts and identities overlap in the everyday smartphone communication of individuals, as speakers interact simultaneously with different interlocutors, and how this overlapping is accompanied by a temporal compression of multilingual practices.